The Wine World’s Noble Nomad

Cabernet Sauvignon, the world’s premier red wine grape, is a veteran traveler. From France, where it is responsible for some of Bordeaux’s most famous wines, it has spread to Italy, Spain, California, Chile, South Africa, Australia and a host of other places. And unlike many grape varieties, it retains its character and produces remarkably consistent wines, regardless of where it finally settles down.

Several factors contribute to its success as a nomad. Compared to many wine grapes, it is hardy: thick skin protects it from disease; hard wood helps it deal with cold winters; and late budding protects it from deadly frosts. It also makes friends easily and mixes well with the locals, allowing it to be blended with resident grape varieties to create new and delicious wines. The most important reason for its success, however, is its name. It is by far the best known of all the red wine grapes, causing people – particularly those unfamiliar with wine – to turn to it whenever they need red wine.

Small and blue-black in color, Cabernet Sauvignon traditionally produces a wine laced with tannins and filled with the taste of blackcurrants and black cherries. The tannins can make the wine harsh and astringent, but they also allow it to age for long periods of time. As the wine matures, a remarkable thing happens: the tannins form precipitates and settle to the bottom of the aging barrel and the flavors of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape become more refined and complex. This is the style of Cabernet Sauvignon made in Bordeaux and sometimes elsewhere, especially in California. These wines are often almost undrinkable when young and frequently need ten or more years to develop, but when mature, they are glorious and considered by many to be the world’s finest wines.

In Bordeaux, the classic wines based on Cabernet Sauvignon are blends that usually include Merlot and Cabernet Franc plus smaller doses of Malbec and Petit Verdot. These are the only five grapes that can be used in the creation of a Bordeaux blend. Cabernet and Merlot are usually the stars of the show, while the other grapes are added in varying amounts to provide structure, body and color.

Bordeaux style blends are also made in other regions, including California where they are often called ‘Meritage’ wines. These blends often have proprietary names like the highly regarded Opus One wines from California, a joint venture between the Baron Philippe de Rothschild of France and Robert Mondavi of California.

In recent years, other styles of Cabernet Sauvignon have evolved. The most readily accessible are wines made to minimize the amount of tannin. These low tannin wines are light, fruity and emphasize the flavor of the grape. They are meant to be drunk young and will not last long before losing their fruity appeal. They are less complex than their more expensive cousins. Many of these wines are very drinkable and make delightful everyday wines. They often come from Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and California.

In recent years, France, the home of the famous Bordeaux blends, has taken to the new style Cabernets. Many of these wines are produced in Provence and Languedoc-Roussillon. Easy to drink and easy on the pocketbook, these readily accessible wines are growing in popularity both inside and outside of France. It took the French a little time to respond to the challenge from abroad, but their new wave Cabernets are some of the best to be found anywhere.

There are also a large number of Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines that fall between the low tannin and the traditional styles. These wines contain the tannin to age for a few years – allowing their flavors develop – but are filled with the flavor of the grape and capable of being drunk when relatively young. This style of Cabernet Sauvignon is often at its best after about five years of aging and won’t bankrupt consumers.

These are the wines that revolutionized wine making during the 1960’s and 1970’s in California. Prior to this time, there were two basic categories of wine. Fine and expensive wines for the well‑healed, and “jug” wines of dubious quality for the masses. But with the arrival of the new Cabernets, excellent wine was suddenly affordable – and appreciated – by we ordinary people. What started in California, spread to the rest of the world, and there has been no looking back.

Cabernet Sauvignon’s ability to blend with other grapes has produced some outstanding wines using formulas different from those followed in Bordeaux. In Spain, for example, it is often blended with Tempranillo and in Italy with Sangiovese. In Australia it is blended with Shiraz (Syrah) to create wines that are popular both inside and outside of Australia.

Some of the Italian blends, like Tignanelloand Solaia from Antinori, are now regarded as some of the world’s finest wines and are as highly regarded as Bordeaux’s most famous wines. Penfolds Grange, perhaps Australia’s most famous wine, is a blend of Shiraz and a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon.

The popularity of Cabernet Sauvignon has spread to all corners of the world. And the quality of the wine – regardless of where it is produced – is remarkably high. If you haven’t tried these wines, it’s time to jump on the bandwagon. After a short ride, your wine drinking habits will probably be permanently changed because like countless others you will quickly discover that this noble grape produces excellent wines wherever it settles down.